It is well-known that water and cooling towers can spread Legionnaires’ Disease the legionella bacteria. Legionnaires’ Disease is a type of pneumonia that can cause fever, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and headaches. Most people contract this disease by breathing in the midst of contaminated fresh water. The spread of Legionnaires’ Disease and other fresh water borne diseases is an overriding concern for government regulators and private industries.
While your company should want to keep your towers clean because it saves lives, it also saves you money. Your company could become exposed to extensive litigation if you don’t take necessary precautions and people contract an illness.
Texas, like many other states, recognizes the danger of allowing bacteria to grow in water cooling towers. This state established a series of regulations to prevent the development of diseases which can be found on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website. The regulations only affect buildings that are defined as cooling towers, so it is helpful to know what is and isn’t a cooling tower. It is also important to know how to keep bacteria out of your systems.
A cooling tower, in a general sense, is a structure that circulates water to cool down the inside of a building. This equipment, as opposed to heat rejection systems, is cheaper to implement and operate. Cooling towers also have a number of common features such as fans at the top, piping near the center and bottom, and air vents along all sides. These systems can vary based on the number of towers, basins, and reservoirs used to create them. Regardless of the number of towers, a cooling tower is considered part of the same system if it recirculates the same water.
There are three steps in keeping your cooling towers clean, including monitoring for contamination and responding to contamination. Maintenance can also keep your system clean.
You should monitor and test your water three times a week. You should also specifically test your cooling towers every 90 days for the presence of legionella bacteria. If you detect bacteria, you should drain the water and perform a thorough cleaning of the entire system.
Cleaning should occur twice a year, regardless of whether you detect bacteria. You can use solvents or heat to sterilize the interior of your cooling towers.
Finally, you should replace parts that are rusted or exposed to sunlight. Corroded components allow bacteria to infiltrate the system. You should also ensure that water is constantly recirculated, because stagnant water allows bacteria to build-up more quickly.
One of the most important components to maintain in any cooling tower is the gear drive. The experts at Amarillo Gear Service in Amarillo, Texas can help you maintain, clean, and repair your Amarillo and Marley™ gear drives. Call Us today at (806) 622-1273 or Contact Us by email to learn more about our services and products, including our portable oil management system for cooling towers. We will be glad to tell you more about the Regions We Service and the quality workmanship we can bring to the repair or renewal of your gear drives.
